Ileana Florescu
(Eritrea, 1960)
Ileana Florescu was born in Asmara, Eritrea, to an Italian mother and an English father of Romanian origin. After following her family in its many moves (Morocco, England, France, Switzerland), she arrived in Italy as a teenager. In Florence, he graduated in Literature and Philosophy. Despite an aptitude for painting and drawing, he devoted himself to research in the historical field, studying the History of the Commedia dell'Arte and Renaissance courts and participating in Sergio Bertelli's History Workshop. He publishes for Bompiani, Mondadori, Ponte alle Grazie, and Bulzoni. In 2001, in Rome, the Pio Monti Arte Contemporanea gallery exhibited for the first time one of his photographs, “Meteorite I,” in the group show “Tra Cielo e Terra.” The decisive meeting will be with Diego Mormorio who, in 2002, proposes her for a solo photographic exhibition, “Scie,” at the Roman gallery Acta International. That same year she moved her studio to the former Cerere pasta factory, the historic home of the San Lorenzo School. Lately her works focus on the dialogue between photography and literature, and have been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries, in Italy and abroad.
Exhibitions:
Recently, her works have focused on the dialogue between photography and literature and have been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries in Italy and abroad. The artist has participated in several exhibitions, including her solo show "Pause" in 2023 at Ellequadro Documenti in Genoa; "Il ritratto contemporaneo nel medium fotografico" in 2004, a solo exhibition at the Galleria Valentina Moncada in Rome; and "Notti bianche Islanda 07-04" in 2005, a group exhibition titled "Residenti" at the Fondazione Pastificio Cerere in Rome. Other exhibitions include her solo show "Double Sens" in 2007 at the Armory Gallery in Perugia; a solo show at the VI International Photography Festival in 2008 in Rome at the Pino Casagrande Studio of Contemporary Art Gallery; "Mandala collettivo" in 2008, a permanent group exhibition curated by Renato Mambor at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome; participation in the LIX Michetti Prize with a group exhibition in Francavilla al Mare at the Mumi - Museo Michetti; a group exhibition in 2010 at the Scuderie Aldobrandini in Frascati; a group exhibition in 2011 at the Museo Andersen in Rome titled "Italia Ora.Produces several solo shows such as “Symphony for a Distant Land,” at the M.K. Ciurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas and “Lunatiche,” at Galleria Il Ponte Arte Contemporanea, Rome, 2011. Followed by “Io e Calliope,” Casa delle Letterature, Rome, 2012, “The Submerged Library,” Art Museum Riga Bourse, Riga, 2013 , “Io e Calliope,” New York university Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York, 2014, in 2015 he made the solo exhibition “Libri Prohibiti,” Angelica Library, Vanvitellian Hall, Rome along with the group exhibition “Delta ti - real time,” Museo Carlo Bilotti, Rome. In 2016 he realizes two solo shows “All'indice - Biblioteca Angelica / Syria, round trip,” Diagonale book/gallery, Rome and “The Sunken Library,” Erarta Museum, St. Petersburg followed by a group show in 2017 titled “Seven Works for Mercy,” group show, Italian Cultural Institute, London. Finally, we recall in 2018 the solo exhibition “The Rooms of the Garden,” at the Academy of France in Rome - Villa Medici, Rome.
